IOPALLA Tutorial Letter 301/3/2017 - General Tutorial Letter - GimmeNotes
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IOPALLA/301/3/2017
Tutorial Letter 301/3/2017
General Tutorial Letter
IOPALLA
Semester 1 and Semester 2
Department of Industrial and Organisational
Psychology
This tutorial letter contains important information
about your undergraduate studies in the Department.
BARCODEIOPALLA/301/3/2017
CONTENTS
Page
1 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME .............................................................................................. 4
1.1 Tutorial matter............................................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Purpose of this tutorial letter ......................................................................................................... 5
1.3 Finding your way around the study package ................................................................................. 5
2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE BCOM IN IOP ........................................................ 6
2.1 What is Industrial and Organisational Psychology? ....................................................................... 6
2.2 Industrial and Organisational Psychology as a profession............................................................. 7
2.3 The Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology ....................................................... 8
2.4 Your graduateness as a student in this department ...................................................................... 8
2.5 The CEMS generic transferable meta-skills and personal attributes ........................................... 10
3 MODULES .................................................................................................................................. 13
3.1 First year modules ...................................................................................................................... 13
3.2 Second year modules ................................................................................................................. 14
3.3 Third year modules ..................................................................................................................... 15
4 COMMUNICATION WITH UNISA AND THE DEPARTMENT..................................................... 17
5 LEARNER SUPPORT: ODEL IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEPARTMENT.............................. 18
5.1 The nature of ODeL (open distance and electronic learning) ...................................................... 18
5.2 What the department expects of you ........................................................................................... 18
5.3 What you can expect of the university/school and department .................................................... 19
5.4 Invitation to join the tutorial classes ....................................................................................... 19
5.4.1 What is the tutorial support programme? .................................................................................... 19
5.4.2 How does it work?....................................................................................................................... 20
5.4.3 How do I enrol?........................................................................................................................... 20
5.5 Using the services of the Directorate for Counselling, Career and Academic Development ........ 20
5.6 Free internet access - multiple purpose community centres (telecentres) ................................... 20
5.7 Online support – login to myUnisa immediately! .......................................................................... 21
5.8 Library services and resources information ................................................................................. 21
6 LEARNING STRATEGIES ......................................................................................................... 21
6.1 Estimating your study time .......................................................................................................... 22
6.2 Reading for understanding .......................................................................................................... 22
6.3 Making your own glossary........................................................................................................... 23
6.4 Re-using effective learning strategies ......................................................................................... 23
7 ASSIGNMENTS ......................................................................................................................... 23
7.1 The value of assignments ........................................................................................................... 23
2IOPALLA/301/3/2017
7.2 General assignment numbers ..................................................................................................... 24
7.3 Compile a list of things to find out ............................................................................................... 26
7.4 Researching the assignment topic(s) .......................................................................................... 26
7.5 Answering the assignment .......................................................................................................... 29
7.6 Technical details relating to the assignment ................................................................................ 30
7.7 Some editing tips ........................................................................................................................ 31
7.8 How to approach multiple-choice questions ................................................................................ 32
8 PREPARING FOR THE EXAMINATIONS .................................................................................. 33
8.1 Planning and revising .................................................................................................................. 33
8.2 In the examination venue ............................................................................................................ 34
8.3 Supplementary/Aegrotat examination ......................................................................................... 35
9 OTHER ASSESSMENT METHODS ........................................................................................... 35
9.1 Plagiarism ................................................................................................................................... 35
9.2 Referencing techniques and citing of sources ............................................................................. 36
9.3 Footnotes.................................................................................................................................... 39
10 SHORT LEARNING PROGRAMMES OFFERED BY THE CENTRE FOR INDUSTRIAL AND
ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY ......................................................................................... 39
10.1 Programmes (12 months) ........................................................................................................... 39
10.2 Courses (6 months) .................................................................................................................... 39
10.3 Short course (3 months).............................................................................................................. 39
10.4 Workshops (2 days) .................................................................................................................... 39
11 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ........................................................................................ 40
11.1 Study material (tutorial letters, study guides, prescribed books and other items) ........................ 40
11.2 Prescribed book .......................................................................................................................... 41
11.3 Other questions about study material .......................................................................................... 41
11.4 Assignments ............................................................................................................................... 42
11.5 Examinations .............................................................................................................................. 42
11.6 Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) .............................................................................................. 44
11.7 General ....................................................................................................................................... 44
12 CONCLUDING REMARKS ......................................................................................................... 47
APPENDIX A: YEAR STUDY PROGRAMME 2017 .............................................................................. 48
3IOPALLA/301/3/2017 1 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME Dear Student 1.1 Tutorial matter It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology. Our graduates contribute to our society and economy in a number of important ways, and I am therefore very pleased that you have chosen this field of study. I hope that you will complete your studies successfully and find them relevant to your chosen career. I also hope that your study experience at Unisa will be both pleasant and stimulating. This tutorial letter contains important information that will assist you in your studies through this department. Please read it carefully and keep it at hand when working through the study material, completing the assignment(s), preparing for the examination and directing questions to your lecturers. Please read all the tutorial letters you receive during the semester immediately and carefully. The information they contain is always important and may well be urgent. They may also contain additional study material or information about recent developments in your field of study that is prescribed for the examination. Enjoy your studies. I wish you every success! Prof OM Ledimo Chair of Department 4
IOPALLA/301/3/2017
1.2 Purpose of this tutorial letter
The purpose of Tutorial letter IOPALLA 301 is to provide you with an orientation to open
distance and electronic learning (ODeL), outline some study skills that will enable you to
become more independent as a student, and answer some of the questions commonly asked
by students.
Please consult the booklet entitled Study @ Unisa 2017 which you received with your study
package. It contains an A-Z guide on important information concerning matters such as contact
addresses of the various administrative departments, assignments, booksellers, orders, regional
offices and the use of the library.
PLEASE NOTE:
Some of the tutorial matter may not be available when you register. Tutorial matter that is not
available when you register will be posted to you as soon as possible, but is also available on
myUnisa. Consult the Study @ Unisa brochure and website on how to access the tutorial
matter.
Enquiries about prescribed and recommended books
Please consult the list of official booksellers and their addresses in the my Studies @ Unisa
brochure or visit the Study @ Unisa website.
1.3 Finding your way around the study package
You will receive a study guide/online learning guide (for modules that are presented online) in
each module that you are enrolled for. The study package may also include (depending on the
relevant module) other important information such as a CD/DVD and/or books/articles with case
studies. The study guide/online learning guide supports and is complementary to other items
such as the prescribed book, CD/DVD and tutorial letters. Study material (tutorial letters and
study guides/online learning guides for modules presented online) is also available on the web
site of the relevant module.
The first thing you should do is read the Tutorial letter 101 for each of the modules for which
you are registered. Tutorial letter 101 will help orient you with regard to the various elements of
the module, such as the SCHEME OF WORK, STUDY RESOURCES AND ASSIGNMENTS.
Tutorial letter 101 will also tell you which prescribed books, if any, you need to buy.
Note the submission dates for the compulsory assignments for each of your modules.
Then plan your study programme in such a way that you will be able to submit all your
assignments on time.
At the end of this tutorial letter we have included a study year planner (calendar). We
encourage you to fill in important dates (e.g. assignment submission dates and examination
dates) for all the modules for which you are registered in 2017.
5IOPALLA/301/3/2017 2 PURPOSE OF AND OUTCOMES FOR THE BCOM IN IOP 2.1 What is Industrial and Organisational Psychology? Since the beginning of the twentieth century, a strong conviction has continued to develop that the human factor in industry deserves the same attention as technical and financial resources. Apart from economic and social considerations in industry and in society, the needs arising from two world wars also underlined the importance of scientific knowledge with regard to problems of human behaviour, such as those occurring in the selection, training and motivation of staff. Practice has turned to that branch of science traditionally concerned with the study of human behaviour, namely psychology, and in answer to identified needs, industrial and organisational psychology has emerged. Landy and Conte (2004, p.6) define industrial and organisational psychology as “the application of psychological principles, theory and research to the work setting”. Industrial and organisational psychology is a legitimate field of scientific inquiry, concerned with advancing knowledge about people at work, including the reciprocal impact of work on life and life on work. Industrial psychologists recognise the interdependence of individuals, organisations and society, and acknowledge the influence of factors such as increasing global and government influences, growing consumer awareness, skills shortages and the changing nature of work and careers on organisational and individual performance. Industrial psychologists are scientists who derive principles and theory about individual, group and organisational behaviour through research. They act as consultants and advisers who develop scientific knowledge and apply it to the solution of problems at work. To this end, they are well educated and trained in the research and application of industrial and organisational psychology (www.siop.org). Industrial and organisational psychology is divided into a number of areas. One of the best known of these is personnel psychology, in which, inter alia, attention is paid to the procurement, selection, training, evaluation and compensation of staff. In managerial and organisational psychology the interactions among individuals and various components of organisations are analysed in behavioural terms, with reference to problems such as motivation, human relations, organisational leadership and systems. Ergonomics discovers information about human behaviour, abilities, limitations and other characteristics. This information is then applied to the specification, design, evaluation, operation and maintenance of products, systems, tasks, jobs and environments for productive, safe, comfortable and effective use by individuals, groups and organisations. Whereas the above areas are concerned mainly with the theoretical and methodological basis of human resource management and organisational planning, consumer psychology considers the consumer of the goods and services of the work organisation, and the concepts and methods for explaining and predicting consumer behaviour. Other areas are career psychology and employee wellness. The former concerns human development through various life and career stages from occupational choice to retirement. In the latter the interaction between the work environment and the personal functioning of the worker to enhance quality of work life are studied. 6
IOPALLA/301/3/2017
Although industrial and organisational psychology has its own theory and methodology, it
remains necessary for the industrial psychologist to acquaint herself/himself with those basic
concepts of general psychology with which she/he works. Thus, for example, the psychology
of learning is particularly relevant in planning training programmes in industry, and personality
lies at the root of all behaviour.
Like all behavioural sciences, industrial and organisational psychology is also concerned with
everyday life, and therefore it is imperative to distinguish scientific knowledge from general or
assumed knowledge. In practice, also, it is often necessary to investigate experimentally those
problems that crop up from day to day. Consequently, a study is also made of research
methodology. Attention is given to the professional apparatus of the industrial psychologist,
such as psychological tests and assessment procedures (psychometrics).
Occupational assessments utilise instruments and procedures developed and used by
professionals in organisations for the purpose of making inferences about people in the
workplace and for predicting future performance.
Industrial psychologists, psychometrists and counsellors must ensure that assessment tests and
procedures are chosen, administered and interpreted appropriately, with due consideration for
the ethical and legal requirements prescribed by the Professional Board for Psychology.
Psychometrists and counsellors are allowed to practise independently within prescribed
boundaries.
2.2 Industrial and Organisational Psychology as a profession
An important, and perhaps the best known application of industrial and organisational
psychology (IOP) is in the field of human resource management (HRM) and related functions,
for which industrial and organisational psychology to a large extent provides the scientific basis.
Many students are actually working in this field, or enter it eventually. Professionals trained in
IOP are scientists who base their principles and theories about individual, group and
organisational behaviour on research. However, they are also recognised as human resource
(HR) practitioners because of their focus on the human behaviour (HR) side of the organisation.
Industrial psychologists act as consultants, strategic HR partners and advisers who develop
scientific knowledge and apply this knowledge to solving human resource-related problems at
work. Industrial psychologists also work hand-in-hand with human resource practitioners in
ensuring that human resource practices comply with legal requirements and the new South
African national human resources (HR) standards. They therefore need to be well-educated and
trained in the research and application of industrial and organisational psychology and the
South African Board for People Practices (SABPP) national HR standards and competencies for
HR practitioners. The department acknowledges that, in the South African context, the
education and training of industrial psychologists and human resource practitioners are
informed by the SABPP HR Competency Model and the national HR standards set by industry
and professionals in consultation with the SABPP. For more information regarding the SABPP
HR Competency Model and national HR standards, visit www.sabpp.co.za
The department believes, however, that industrial and organisational psychology in its own right
also fills a wider professional role which is also protected by law. These functions include the
diagnosis of staff and other organisational problems with an industrial and organisational
psychology content, and remedial action with the aid of professional techniques and advice.
Some industrial psychologists fulfil this role as professional internal or external consultants.
7IOPALLA/301/3/2017 Persons not registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) may not practise as industrial psychologists or make use of industrial psychological techniques and psychological tests. Students who obtain a MCom degree in industrial and organisational psychology, followed by a twelve-month internship, may register as industrial psychologists. The internship is a professional requirement, but is not a requirement for obtaining a degree. Students with a bachelor’s degree, honours degree or master’s degree in industrial and organisational psychology can register with the SABPP as human resource practitioners, chartered human resource practitioners or master human resource practitioners. The department also offers a post-graduate diploma in organisation development, a doctorate in industrial and organisational psychology and a doctorate in consulting psychology. 2.3 The Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology At Unisa the Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology functions as a separate academic department within the College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS). Industrial Psychology is offered as a major subject for the BCom degree, which lead to the honours, master's and doctor’s degrees in industrial and organisational psychology. Tuition is provided by means of written study material and assignments based on it. As an ODL/ODeL institution, Unisa is migrating towards an e-learning and teaching mode to help students gain access to a variety of open educational resources and benefit from a range of multi-media teaching, learning and assessment methods in order to ensure a satisfactory and successful learning experience. We therefore urge our students to ensure that they actively engage with the myUnisa website and the module-specific websites. The most important component of any academic department is its student body. More than 9000 students are currently enrolled for industrial and organisational psychology at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Some have no previous business experience, while others occupy advanced positions in human resource management or other management functions. A large number have moved from natural science and technical fields into administrative and managerial positions. For some students the subject serves as a preparation for a professional career, while others choose it because they are interested in human interaction, which constitutes a substantial part of their daily lives and work. The department has set itself the objective of meeting the needs of this growing number of students, with the diversity of interests they represent. 2.4 Your graduateness as a student in this department The Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology plays a critical role in educating and training professionally qualified IO psychologists and human resource practitioners, especially in the Southern African context, who can competently and ethically contribute to strategic and operational HR practice and people dynamics in organisations with due consideration of the evolving needs of a generational and culturally diverse knowledge and information society. Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) data (2012) indicated that the Unisa IOP department’s market share (Unisa enrolled funded credits for the educational category industrial and organisational psychology) is 44%, implying that the IOP department educates quite a large number of the country’s industrial psychologists (HR practitioners). Overall, the College (CEMS) had a very high market share (12.5), indicating the 8
IOPALLA/301/3/2017
viability of the Programme Qualification Mix (PQM) offered by the College and, by implication,
those offered by the IOP department.
The discipline-specific knowledge that you will gain from your studies in the field of industrial
and organizational psychology will enable you to specialise as and develop your proficiency as
an aspiring professionally qualified psychometrist, counsellor, or an industrial psychologist and
human resource practitioner. However, you will realise in the course of your studies that the
increasing internationalisation, the growing proportion of knowledge-intensive work, increasing
use of rapidly evolving information technology, and a new organisation of work based on global
networks, teams, and multi-cultural diversity have extended the range of capabilities needed in
professional work. The general expectation is that a graduate of the University of South Africa
will have developed as a person and acquired in addition to her or his discipline-specific
knowledge, skills and competencies, broader attributes which equip Unisa graduates to be
innovative and effective in the workplace, and active and informed citizens.
The University of South Africa generally expects its graduates to have distinctive graduate
qualities which characterise their graduateness. These qualities are included in the following
statement on the graduateness of a Unisa student:
Unisa graduates:
(i) Are independent, resilient, responsible and caring citizens who are able to fulfil and serve
in multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global communities.
(ii) Have a critical understanding of their location on the African continent with its histories,
challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts.
(iii) Are able to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of information
and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with its ever increasing information
and data flows and competing worldviews.
(iv) Know how to apply their discipline-specific knowledges competently, ethically and
creatively to solve real-life problems.
(v) Are critically aware of their own learning and developmental needs and future potential.
Being a student of the Department of Industrial and Organisational Psychology, you have
become part of the College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS). The CEMS aims
to create graduates that are responsible, accountable, relevant and ethical (RARE) as citizens
in every community where they operate. In support of the Unisa statement on its students’
graduateness, the CEMS focuses on imparting to their students in addition to the discipline-
specific knowledge of a course or module, a specific set of generic transferable meta-skills and
personal attributes (generally referred to as graduateness skills and attributes) that transcend
disciplinary-specific outcomes. These skills and attributes are regarded as enabling outcomes
that will assist students to become competent and professional graduates who have the
potential to make sustained positive contributions to society, to their professions, and in their
workplaces.
The CEMS framework of graduateness skills and attributes addresses three holistic overarching
attributes which are regarded as important enabling outcomes of university education: (1)
scholarship (students’ attitude or stance towards knowledge, the way they think and work, and
the tools they use to work effectively), (2) global and moral citizenship (students’ attitude or
stance towards the world and living in the world), and (3) lifelong learning (students’ attitude or
stance towards themselves and living in the world).
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As scholars, graduates should be leaders in the production of new knowledge and
understanding through inquiry, critique and synthesis. They should be able to apply their
knowledge to solve consequential and complex problems, and communicate their
knowledge confidently and effectively.
As global and moral citizens, graduates must aspire to contribute to society in a full,
meaningful, ethical and responsible way through their roles as members of local, national
and global communities.
As lifelong learners, graduates must be committed to and capable of continuous learning
for the purpose of furthering their understanding of the world and their place in it.
The learning and assessment activities in the various modules that you enrolled for have been
designed to enable you to develop the graduateness skills and attributes expected from a
CEMS graduate. As the development of the graduateness skills and attributes is a gradual
process, each module will provide you with various opportunities to evaluate your achievement
of these skills and attributes. You will also note that developing and applying the graduateness
skills and attributes by completing the various learning and assessment activities will help you to
master the disciplinary-specific learning outcomes specified for each module.
2.5 The CEMS generic transferable meta-skills and personal attributes
The CEMS generic transferable meta-skills and personal attributes described below form an
integral part of the generic critical cross-field outcomes listed by the South African government
as learning outcomes that are relevant throughout life for all South African citizens. Forming an
integral part of the CEMS framework of graduateness skills and attributes, these generic
learning outcomes enable graduates to continue to be proactive, enterprising learners, flexible,
and able to adapt to change throughout their careers and professional lives.
Scholarship
Problem-solving and decision making skills: These skills relate to being creative and
proactive in the process of producing a solution to a recognised often ill-defined problem or
problematic complex situation.
Analytical thinking skills: Analytical thinking implies being skillful in employing logical
reasoning and analysis in explaining information and data, and drawing insightful
conclusions from the data analysis.
Enterprising skills: These skills involve being venturesome and applying critical thinking,
initiative and proactivity when engaging in economic activities or undertakings either to
create and operate an enterprise of one’s own, or be a substantial contributor to an
enterprise as an employee. Being enterprising also means that one is able to recognise
and be adept at dealing with organisational or team politics.
These skills and attributes link with the following SAQA (South African Qualifications Authority)
national critical cross-field outcomes:
Identify and solve problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using
critical and creative thinking have been made
Demonstrate an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that
problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation
Developing entrepreneurial opportunities
Collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information.
10IOPALLA/301/3/2017
Global and moral citizenship
Ethical & responsible behaviour: This involves accepting full responsibility for, and taking
the lead in upholding the code of moral beliefs and values of one’s profession, community,
and/or workplace in all one does.
Presenting & applying information skills: These skills refer to the ability to clearly and
convincingly communicate knowledge, facts, ideas, and opinions (oral and written) with the
view to offer solutions for one’s personal benefit, or for the benefit of one’s community or
workplace.
Interactive skills: These skills relate to: (1) the effective and efficient use of English
language and technology when communicating with others and (2) the ability to function
effectively and efficiently as a person in communicating and interacting with people from
diverse cultures, backgrounds, and authority levels.
These skills and attributes link with the following SAQA national critical cross-field outcomes:
Work effectively with others as a member of a team, group, organisation, community
Communicate effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language skills in the modes of
oral and/or written presentation
Use science and technology effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards the
environment and health of others
Being culturally and aesthetically sensitive across a range of social contexts.
Participating as responsible citizens in the life of local, national and global communities.
Use science and technology effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards the
environment and health of others.
Lifelong/Life-wide learning
Goal-directed behaviour: This refers to the ability to be proactive and apply initiative to
achieve one’s goals, accomplish tasks, or meet deadlines. Setting realistic goals,
developing plans and taking action to achieve one’s goals, accomplish tasks and meeting
deadlines are core elements of goal-directed behaviour.
Continuous learning orientation: This involves having a cognitive openness toward lifelong
learning and the willingness to proactively engage in the process of acquiring new
knowledge, skills and abilities throughout one’s life and career in reaction to, and in
anticipation of, changing technology and performance criteria.
These skills and attributes link with the following SAQA national critical cross-field outcomes:
Reflecting on and exploring a variety of strategies to learn more effectively
Organise and manage oneself and one's activities responsibly and effectively
Exploring education and career opportunities
The IOP department views its focus on the graduateness of an IOP graduate as being coherent
with the SABPP HR Competency Model. The scholarship facet of graduateness underpins the
pillar of HR and business knowledge and the HR competencies of organisational capability, and
solution creation and implementation. The IOP PQM curricula emphasise the role of the
industrial psychologist (and HR practitioner) as strategic business partner and advisor in the
contemporary world of work context. The global/moral citizenship and life-long/life-wide learning
facets of graduateness can be related to the HR pillars of duty to society, ethics and
professionalism, and the HR competencies of leadership and personal credibility, interpersonal
11IOPALLA/301/3/2017
and communication skills and citizenship for the future. The figure below illustrates the link
between the graduateness skills and attributes and HR pillars of professionalism, HR core
competencies and HR capabilities of the SABPP HR Competency Model in driving business
excellence. For more information regarding the SABPP HR Competency Model and national HR
standards, visit www.sabpp.co.za
Transdisciplinary Work & Life CEMS/IOP SABPP HR SABPP HR Core
Generic Outcomes Orientation Graduateness Pillars of Competencies
of University Skills & Attributes Professionalism
Education
Scholarship Ways of Problem HR and Organisational
Stance toward thinking solving/decision-making Business Capability
knowledge skills Knowledge Solution SABPP HR Capabilities in
Analytical thinking skills Creation & Driving Business Excellence
Enterprising skills Implementation
Global/moral Ways of, Ethical & responsible Duty to Society Leadership and Strategy
citizenship and tools behaviour Ethics Personal Talent Management
Stance toward for working Presenting & applying Professionalism Credibility HR Governance, Risk &
world and others and living information skills Citizenship for Compliance
in the Interactive skills the Future Analytics & Measurement
Life-long/life- world Goal-directed behaviour HR Service Delivery
wide learning Continuous learning
Stance toward self orientation
ELEMENTS OF THE SABPP HUMAN RESOURCE COMPETENCY MODEL
PILLARS OF HR HR CORE COMPETENCIES HR CAPABILITIES
PROFESSIONALISM
Duty to society: HR Leadership and Personnel Credibility: All Strategy: HR professionals contribute
professionals have a duty to HR professionals should possess leadership to business strategy by drafting HR
society in delivering high skills to drive the HR profession. Likewise, strategies aligned to the overall
quality HR work that has an HR professionals should have personal strategy of the organisation. However,
impact on society. credibility in organisations, irrespective of this is more than just alignment, it
Ethics: HR professionalism level in the organisation, but this can only be requires the ability and influence to
should contribute to ethics in achieved if they display a high level of create people-driven business strategy
organisations and drive competence in executing professional HR in partnership with other executives.
ethics in accordance with the work. Talent management: Once business
SABPP HR Guide on Ethics. Organisational capability: Understanding and HR strategy are clear, HR
Professionalism: HR the organisational context and needs of the professionals should work with line
professionals should business is critical in the process of planning management in implementing a talent
manage themselves and delivering HR practices. management plan for an organisation.
professionally in acting and Solution Creation and Implementation: HR HR governance risk and compliance:
behaving like true professionals create, plan and implement HR Governing the HR function to make
professionals in the standard solutions, including interventions and effective people decisions for the
of HR work they deliver. practices according to the needs of the business, including managing HR risks
HR and Business organisation. and ensuring compliance to
knowledge: HR Interpersonal and communication skill: All employment laws, rules, codes and HR
professional must have good HR work depends on successful relationships, standards elevate HR from business
HR and sound business and excellent interpersonal and partners to HR governors.
knowledge if they want to be communication skills are of utmost Analytics and measurement: Another
successful as professionals importance. core capability is to be able to generate
and strategic partners. Citizenship for the future: Over and above a systematic and integrated approach
the HR strategic partner role, the new to HR analytics and measures in
business environment requires HR demonstrating HR impact on the
professionals who can drive innovation, business.
optimise technology and contribute to HR service delivery: Ultimately HR
sustainability. Thus, HR professionals professionals should be able to deliver
become citizens for the future in ensuring high quality HR products and services
sustainability of organisations and the for the organisation and meeting or
environment. exceeding the needs of management,
employees and other key stakeholders.
Source: www.sabpp.co.za
12IOPALLA/301/3/2017
3 MODULES
Below is a list of the industrial and organisational psychology modules offered at undergraduate
level. Please note: Consult Tutorial letter 101 or the myUnisa website for more information on
each module and the lecturers responsible for each module. Undergraduate modules are
mostly presented online (electronically). It is therefore important that you visit the relevant
module’s website for more information regarding the study material, assignments and
examination.
3.1 First year modules
IOP1501: Psychological processes in work context
This module introduces students to the theoretical perspectives and methodology related to
psychological processes in the work context. It focuses on various psychological processes
such as: fields of study and practice areas in industrial and organisational psychology (IOP); the
biological basis of behaviour; human development across the lifespan; learning perspectives
applicable to psychology; perception perspectives applicable to psychology; cognitive
processes in the work context; motivational and emotional behaviour in the work context;
attitudes and values in the work context; pro-social and antisocial behaviour in the workplace;
group and social functioning in organisations; and leadership and entrepreneurial behaviour in
the work context.
IOP1601: Personality in work context
This module introduces students to the foundations of personality with regard to the following:
psychodynamic, behaviouristic, dimensional, humanistic/phenomenological and cognitive
perspectives; psychological wellness; psychopathology; work adjustment; individual differences;
and assessment of personality.
IOP1502: Customer service in tourism
This module introduces students to customer behaviour and characteristics; interpersonal skills
and communication; developing a customer care culture and strategy; customer recovery
strategies; and customer satisfaction and loyalty.
IOP1503: Environmental psychology
The purpose of this module is to enable students to understand the need for and the importance
of theories and research methods in environmental psychology, and includes aspects such as:
environmental perception, cognition and attitudes; the effects of environmental stressors and
the relevance of territoriality, privacy and personal space to environmental behaviour; and the
application of this understanding to practical situations.
IOP1504 Workforce diversity
The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the diversity mosaic by defining concepts
and examining diversity in the South African workforce. The following aspects are studied: the
influence of national culture on organisations; the role of the individual in diversity; prerequisites
for the effective functioning of a diverse workforce; a model for managing diversity; and gaining
diversity through processes such as recruitment, selection, induction, appraisals, development
and training models.
13IOPALLA/301/3/2017 3.2 Second year modules IOP2601 Industrial psychological research The purpose of this module is to enable students to gain a background to scientific research with regard to the following: the displaying of data; descriptive statistics: central tendency, variability, correlation, regression; the normal distribution; and inferential statistics: sampling distributions and hypothesis testing, t-tests, F-test, chi-square and the practical application of this information. IOP2602 Organisational psychology This module introduces students to organisational psychology and important aspects such as: the individual: foundations of individual behaviour and the role of perceptions; values; attitudes and job satisfaction; and basic motivational concepts. The group: foundations of group behaviour; understanding work teams; communication; leadership; power and politics; and conflict, negotiation and intergroup behaviour. The organisation: foundations of organisational structure; work design; organisational culture; organisational change; and stress management. IOP2603 Ergonomics The purpose of this module is to enable students to gain insight into what ergonomics is and why it is necessary by studying models of and approaches to the human–technology interaction. Also studied is the application of ergonomics: designing to fit body posture; the office work environment; designing for special populations; and the practical application of the modules by means of the ergonomics checklist. IOP2604: Psychological adjustment in the work context The purpose of this module is to enable students to gain insight into the connection between work and psychological wellbeing by studying aspects such as: psychological adjustment; determinants and causes of work maladjustment; assessment of work adjustment; types of psychological disorders, work dysfunctions and other work-related and organisational adjustment problems; and organisational strategies and methods to manage and promote organisational and employee wellbeing. IOP2605 Human capacity development The purpose of this module is to enable students to gain insight into the following concepts: learning in a new era: young children and the potential to participate. Basic education: a critical participation opportunity; participation for livelihood; and enhancing participation across the lifespan. Human capacity development in the world of work: training and development; management development; and human capacity development. The role of outcomes-based education: the emphasis on competence; and developing managerial competence. The competent manager: competence models; making the most of competences; the competence controversy; and open learning for managers in the learning organisation. 14
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IOP2606 Individual differences and work performance
The purpose of this module is to enable students to gain insight into individual differences by
studying the following aspects: personality; cultural and demographic dimensions; perspectives
on individual differences in the work context; individual differences in cognitive behaviours;
personality traits, personal orientations (interests and values) and emotional (affective) states;
individual differences in work motivation and satisfaction; individual differences and work
relationships; individual differences and organisational culture/climate; individual differences
and entrepreneurship; individual differences in occupational choice and organisational
withdrawal; and implications for practice and assessment.
IOP2607: Work group dynamics and diversity
This module introduces students to individual, group and organisational dynamics by studying
aspects such as interpersonal and intrapersonal behaviour and the evaluation and development
of interpersonal styles; interpersonal styles in relationships; and developing the interpersonal
effectiveness of employees. Group relations: unconscious behaviour and dynamics in groups;
and underlying anxieties in relationships between leaders and followers and between
subgroups. Diversity: the role of employees in diversity and relationship building; the
management of diversity paradigms and initiatives; and models for managing diversity at
individual, group and organisational level.
IOP2608: Forensic industrial psychology
This module introduces students to the basic principles, processes and fields in psychology and
industrial psychology of importance for the legal profession with regard to: the history and
development of law; and the different forms of law, with emphasis on civil procedural law, the
hierarchy of courts, the jurisdiction of the courts and court rules, procedures that are of
importance for concluding legal processes, and report writing in order to enable the industrial
psychology student to practise in the forensic context.
3.3 Third year modules
IOP3701: Industrial psychological testing and assessment
The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the origins and functions of psychological
testing by studying aspects such as: technical and methodological principles: norms and the
meaning of test scores; reliability; validity; and item analysis. Ability testing: individual tests;
tests for special populations; and group testing. Personality testing: self-report personality
inventories; measuring interests and attitudes; and projective techniques. Applications of
testing: important contexts of current test use; ethical and social considerations in testing; and
the practical application of tests.
IOP3702: Personnel psychology: Organisational entry
The purpose of this module is to introduce students to the foundations and historical
background of research methods in personnel psychology. The following aspects are covered:
criteria: standards for decision making; job analysis; and job evaluation. Predictors:
psychological tests and inventories; interviews; assessment centre evaluations; biographical
information; and new and controversial selection methods. Human resource planning and
personnel decisions: a model of personnel employment decisions; recruitment; selection;
placement and classification; career development and training and development. Fairness in
personnel decisions: test bias; culture-fair tests; legal framework; models.
15IOPALLA/301/3/2017 IOP3703: Career psychology The purpose of this module is to enable students to gain insight into aspects such as: the meaning of work; career concepts and career management models; theories of career choice and career counselling; life and career stages; organisational choice; career development issues and career wellbeing in a changing work environment, and organisational career development support practices. IOP3704: Employment relations The purpose of this module is to enable students to gain insight into the industrial psychological approach to labour relations by studying aspects such as: the nature of labour relations; perspectives on labour relations: an open system framework. Employment relations context: environmental factors; international and South African developments; and parties to the relationship. Conflict: recognition, manifestation and identification; and dealing with conflict. Negotiations: the nature of negotiation; the role of power; characteristics of the negotiator; preparing for negotiations; and conducting negotiations. Approaches to facilitate negotiation: interpersonal skills; persuasion and attitude change; cross-cultural communication; and negotiation tactics. Third-party intervention: conciliation, mediation and arbitration; stages of group development; process interventions; content interventions; and implications for industrial psychology. IOP3705: Organisation development and change This module introduces students to the nature of organisational development and change by studying aspects such as: helping the organisation to cope with change by identifying real causes of problems: diagnostic methods, including action research and survey feedback methods. The role of the industrial psychologist as consultant or facilitator: establishing a positive relationship with the client; contracting with the client; intervention methods or solutions to real needs; individual, group and systems approaches to organisational development; the impact of organisational development on the organisation; and evaluating change efforts. IOP3706 Personnel psychology: employee retention The purpose of this module is to enable students to gain insight into the following concepts: psychology of employee retention in organisational context; performance appraisal, evaluation and development. Individual performance: results, behaviour and competencies; determinants; performance appraisal and development of performance; dealing with poor performance; rewarding performance; and implementing performance management; compensation; career development, training and development and employment relations. IOP3707 Psychology of Leadership The purpose of this module is to enable students to develop a well-rounded knowledge base of the principles and theories of leader behaviour in an organisational context for the purpose of evaluating and developing leader behaviour for improved organisational effectiveness. The following aspects are studied: the concept of leadership in an organisational context; the principles of leadership in an organisational context; the difference between the traditional and modern theories of leadership, and the integration of relevant leadership theories for their application in an organisational context 16
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IOP3708 Investor psychology
Financial investment decisions are made in situations of high complexity and high uncertainty
that preclude reliance on fixed rules and compel the decision-maker to rely on intuition. This
module enables students to gain insight into the application of psychology in the financial
decisions and judgements that investors make. Students are required to study established key
psychological decision-making and judgement principles, concepts, models and theories that
affect investment decisions taken by individual investors, analysts, strategists, brokers, portfolio
managers, options traders, currency traders, futures traders and commentators. Attention is
also given to the emotional weaknesses of the efficient market hypothesis, prospect theory,
heuristics and framing.
4 COMMUNICATION WITH UNISA AND THE DEPARTMENT
If you need to contact the University about matters not related to the content of the modules you
enrolled for, please consult the brochure entitled Study @ Unisa that you received with your
study material or visit the website Study @ Unisa. The brochure and website contain
information on how to contact the University, for example:
To find out whether Unisa has received your assignment, whether it has been marked,
what mark you obtained for it and when it was returned to you.
Should you difficulty in obtaining the prescribed book from official bookshops.
Queries about study guides/online learning guides for modules presented online, tutorial
letters and mark-reading sheets.
Names and addresses of students with whom you might be able to form a study group.
Information about the examination.
The following facilities may be used to contact Unisa:
1. Study related matters (Unisa website): http://www.unisa.ac.za & http://mobi.unisa.ac.za
2. Accessing your personal student information (myUnisa website):
https://my.unisa.ac.za/portal & https://my.unisa.ac.za/portal/pda
3. Information on how to contact Unisa via e-mail: info@unisa.ac.za
4. Information on how to contact Unisa via SMS: 32695 (only for students in South Africa).
The sender will receive an auto response SMS with the various SMS options. The cost per
SMS is R1,00.
5. General enquiries: students may fax their enquiries to 012 429 4150, where after it will be
distributed to and processed by the relevant department.
6. Departmental website: The direct link to our departmental website is:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/Default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=198
Here you will find information on our undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, modules and
papers; information on professional registration as an industrial psychologist; more information
on our Centre for Industrial and Organisational Psychology; as well as links to many relevant
websites.
17IOPALLA/301/3/2017
7. You may also contact the helpdesk of the Department of Industrial and Organisational
Psychology for general assignment related matters:
E-mail address: DeptIOP@ unisa.ac.za
Helpdesk contact numbers: 012 429 8033 / 012 429 8054
IMPORTANT: Always have your student number and course code (e.g. IOP1501) at
hand when you contact the University, department or a lecturer.
Do not try to contact one lecturer only once. We might just be out of the office for a few
minutes, visiting the library or in a meeting. Keep in mind that professors and associate
professors have more meeting commitments than other lecturers.
5 LEARNER SUPPORT: ODeL IN THE CONTEXT OF THE DEPARTMENT
5.1 The nature of ODeL (open distance and electronic learning)
You have chosen to register at Unisa, which is a higher education open distance learning
institution. What are the implications of this for you?
First, you might have gained access to the university because of its “open” nature without
necessarily having the skills to cope at a university, possibly because you have been out of the
education system for a long time. However, these skills can be learnt. Now that you have
registered, you will have access to resources that will help you to make a success of your
studies: study guides; assignments; the library; lecturers; tutors; literacy centres; counsellors to
assist with study skills; peer groups; myUnisa, the online learning management system, and so
on. You need to use these resources wisely to help yourself.
Second, distance education usually provides an independent study package. Many people are
not used to studying completely in isolation from the institution, their teachers and their fellow
students. Many distance education students feel lonely and drop out. As just mentioned,
however, there are resources available to you to bridge this distance and to offer you support:
please use them.
5.2 What the department expects of you
In this department we expect students who register for this qualification to be able to execute
the following tasks when applicable:
(a) learn from predominantly written material
(b) communicate what they have learnt comprehensibly in writing and verbally in the medium
of instruction
(c) perform basic calculations, such as multiplication
(d) read and interpret basic graphs and statistics
(e) use IT (information technology) such as computers
(f) with guided support, take responsibility for their own progress
(g) take decisions about and responsibility for their own actions
h) transfer successful learning strategies across courses
(i) evaluate their own performance against given criteria
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